Rheology modifiers are used in a variety of personal care and industrial applications. Most of the conventional rheology modifiers are produced from petrochemical based raw materials. Accordingly, there is a need to produce rheology modifiers that are at least partly derived from renewable raw materials.
One of the benefits of rheology modifiers is their ability to suspend solid materials in aqueous systems. Suspension benefits are usually obtained by using crosslinked polyacrylic acids, such as carbomer-type polymers. These crosslinked polyacrylic acid-based materials are conventionally made in a solvent and therefore are not considered environmentally friendly, or “green”. Accordingly, there is a need to provide more environmentally, or “greener”, rheology modifiers and in particular such rheology modifiers that can deliver suspension benefits to a variety of formulations.